Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born, 1796; entered the navy as midshipman, 1808; taken prisoner by the French at Deba, 1808; midshipman to the Akbar, 1814; Admiralty mate of the Bulwark, 1817; volunteered for service in the Trent, under Sir John Franklin, who was then entering on the first modern voyage of discovery in the Spitsbergen seas, 1818; expedition with Franklin by land to the Coppermine River,1819-1821; appointed to the Superb, 1823; join Franklin's expedition to the Mackenzie River, 1824-1826; expedition to find Captain Ross, 1833-1835; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1836-1878; Vice President and member of the RGS Council; RGS Gold Medallist - Royal award, 1835; commander of an expedition to complete the coast line between Regent's Inlet and Cape Turnagain, 1836; President of the Raleigh Club, 1844; Fellow of the Royal Society, 1847; employed by government to report on the harbour of Holyhead; died, 1878.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of Sir George Back, 1814-1878, including c. 250 letters addressed to Sir George Back by various correspondents (listed by name), 1848-1878; personal letters from Back to his family, 1813-1878; photocopies of extracts from Back's sketchbook and slides of his sketches from 1819-1822 expedition to Arctic; passports and framed letter with sketches of polar bear, 1874.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:English and French. Passports in German, French Italian and Arabic.